Is App Sheet right for me? Medical Non Profit

[BigAlHurl]

I'm working with a non profit that provides needed Eye Exams, Glasses and Surgery for people in poverty stricken areas of Mexico.  I am exploring the idea of creating an app to check-in and track a patients process from the initial Care Consult (initial Contact Interview), thru examinations, Diagnosis, Treatment and/or surgery. Currently the clinic runs with paper and Excel database formatting.  The data entry is extensive and sometimes incomplete due to paper transmission. I was envisioning an app that would flow with the process and allow the care staff to enter information into a phone or tablet in real time and eliminate the need for paper forms. Ideally it would speed up the process, prevent downtime loss, and organize and store data for quick retrieval.

Ideally it would have a 

Employee Portal (database) for employees and their role, education and experience

Patient Portal ( database for collecting information and storing records)(check in /Check Out) Facial picture integration. Ideally this would be dynamic as the patient progresses thru the care process.

Eyewear Portal - Prescription and Scheduling portal (status process and pickup notification (emails))

Surgery Portal - Patient information (Surgical Room, Dr Information, tool and equipment use, etc.)

Follow-up care portal (Scheduling portal for post op care and review of vision testing)

Optional

(Care bus - (maps and routes for picking up those for Clinic Visits.)

I know it seems like a lot. What I'm asking is this possible in basic and growing stages of the app. How hard is implementation/integration? and what would a realistic view or timeline of something like this be?

Is there a template that would be essential to build on or to speed this process up?

[1minManager]

Hi, some quick answers:

Employee Portal (database) for employees and their role, education and experience  Easy

Patient Portal ( database for collecting information and storing records)  Easy

(check in /Check Out)  Like a time sheet?  If so, easy

Facial picture integration. Ideally this would be dynamic as the patient progresses thru the care process.  Taking and storing photos, easy.  But Appsheet can't do anything like analyse or compare them 

Eyewear Portal - Prescription and Scheduling portal (status process and pickup notification (emails))  Slighty complicated.  You'll need the $10 per person licence if you need scheduled reports/emails

Surgery Portal - Patient information (Surgical Room, Dr Information, tool and equipment use, etc.)  Potentially easy if all in one table

Follow-up care portal (Scheduling portal for post op care and review of vision testing)  Slightly complicated, but doable, you'd need the $10 licences though

(Care bus - (maps and routes for picking up those for Clinic Visits.)  If you have records with either a latlong or an address these can be displayed easily on a maps.  But appsheet can't do route planning as such

I know it seems like a lot. What I'm asking is this possible in basic and growing stages of the app. How hard is implementation/integration? and what would a realistic view or timeline of something like this be?  If I was doing this I'd probably budget about 2-4hours work just to get the data structure right.  But it might need 5-10 hours to get it to the point where you can use it.

Is there a template that would be essential to build on or to speed this process up?  There are templated, but IMHO the'y probably make things harder not easier.  Since its actually easy to add stuff to Appsheet but sometimes a pain to strip features out.

Happy to have a free 30-60min conversation if you like?

(PII Removed by Staff)

[WillowMobileSys]

First,  Yes, you can do all of this in AppSheet, I think very well.

Second, there are not really any templates to help.  It usually is better and faster to just start from scratch.  Most businesses have their unique way of operating and tend ending up changing everything to suit their needs anyway.

Lastly, you will want to consider the number of users you need to get access to the app(s).  AppSheet charges per-user-per-month.  There are some things you can do to help lower these costs.  For example, instead of ALL patients having login access (which can get expensive) maybe you provide an app where they give some private customer ID and they are allowed to see their information.  An app like this could cost as little as $50/month. It is less secure when it comes to patient privacy but maybe its sufficiently secure for your needs.

And then there is the cost and time to build the app.  You could go the simple route and have all the features up and running in a couple months or less.  If you need to consider security, have role based permissions, validate data entry and/or implement business-specific functionalities - it will take more time.  How much all depends on the complexity of the needs within this new system.

For what its worth,  I believe it is ALWAYS more cost effective to transition from a "paper process" to a "digital process" - in the long run.  There will be, of course, a short period of time where the business must endure the cost of both until the "paper process" can be discontinued. 

And one very important note, the success of the new app depends on buy-in of all those who will be using it.  You will want to seek out their input on how things should work.  It is surprising the unknown details you discover this way.  More importantly, because these users are engaged with the building of the app, the familiarity with it and the pride of contribution will ensure a smooth adoption process.